


shrouded in blue

by LoserEddie



Category: Blues Brothers (Movies), Ghostbusters (1984-1989; 2020), Neighbors (1981), Trading Places - Fandom
Genre: Brothers, Childhood, Family Feels, Gen, also a bit of implied sexuality confusion if you REALLY squint, literally just them chillin in a pool, louis has NO idea how to talk to these idiots but also he has like no friends, so he'll take what he can get
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24479692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoserEddie/pseuds/LoserEddie
Summary: Finding out you have three brothers is hard. Having to bond with them is worse. But to Louis Winthorpe III, this is practically the end of the world.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	shrouded in blue

**Author's Note:**

> just for reference:
> 
> louis winthorpe III - 14. rays twin, younger by one hour  
> raymond “ray” stantz - 14. louis’ twin, older by one hour  
> victor “vic” zeck - 13  
> elwood j. blues - 15
> 
> i absolutely despise having to call them "victor" and "raymond" in this but i PROMISE you that will ease up soon
> 
> also, i havent read over this at all, so you just gotta suffer.

This mansion no longer belonged to the Winthorpes. No, it belonged to the Winthorpe-Stantz-Blues-Zecks now, and it made Louis want to sob. Just yesterday, he had been a carefree young boy, the world at his feet. His future was as bright as the chandeliers that hung throughout the house, and it showed no signs of dimming. Well, in a way, it hadn’t: before he realized, the light had completely flickered off. In the darkness, Louis was terrified. 

That’s what it was: a horror. A monstrosity, even. Having brothers near his age should have been exciting. After all, who wouldn’t want live-in human entertainment? What he hadn’t realized was that their lifestyles had no resemblance to his, all the way down to their wildly conflicting personalities. 

He shouldn’t have had much of a problem with Raymond; they were twins, after all. Of course, the two hadn’t actually known each other very long. The way they lost contact could be considered laughable, if it weren’t for the obviously traumatizing factors. The Winthorpes used to love camping, more than their summer homes and many vehicles combined. Out of everyone in the family, the seven year old Raymond was by far the fondest of their yearly trip. What he hadn’t realized was that lagging behind on the last day would result in his parents forgetting his existence, only recalling their other son as the letter arrived that he had been taken into foster care. Well, he seemed much happier with his new family, anyway. 

The only sibling he could recall in his later years was, unfortunately, Victor, the same brother he loathed most of all. Victor had always been a ruckus, being removed from countless private schools due to his brutish behavior. It was this same fun-loving lifestyle that sent him to the suburbs with his aunt and uncle. Something he had requested, shockingly enough. The new environment apparently didn’t do him any good: his aunt continued to report numerous instances of sneaking out at night and disturbing his neighbor. A neighbor that he, funnily enough, claimed was one of his closest friends. 

Finally, there was Elwood. Nobody knew Elwood, not even his own parents, who dropped him off at the newspaper stand when he was only three days old. Discovering his existence was what prompted the family to reunite the brothers, which appeared to be more of a curse than a blessing. He had been the only one to never step foot in Pennsylvania before, instead being raised in an orphanage in Chicago. Though, the Winthorpe’s chauffeur stated he was quite a fan of the variety of cars that the city showcased. Louis could only imagine his excitement as he entered the family garage, the size better matching that of the average apartment. His father had always been a fan of vintage automobiles. It must have been an inherited interest. 

The obvious cultural differences dawned on Louis as soon as the four had been left alone. They sat on separate seats in the living room, with only the occasional conversation sparking before soon falling dead. Had this group been his classmates, he would have already challenged them to a game of golf or horseback riding. From what he could gather, the closest any of them had to such a hobby were riding bicycles. So, he waited. Waited and waited until someone could think of anything better to do. When five minutes passed, he realized that may never come. 

“Would you all be interested in swimming?” He asked. It was still rather chilly out, far from an ideal temperature, but he considered them tough enough to handle the cold. 

“I didn’t pack any swim trunks.” Raymond said, though he stood nevertheless. 

Victor smacked him on the back with a wicked grin. “It’s no problem, I brought extra just for the occasion! And hey, if mine don’t fit, Lou should probably have a few pairs.” 

Louis wasn’t quite sure why, but he found that the nickname brought a smile to his face. He couldn’t even recall the last time he had been referred to as anything other than his full first name, let alone by his family. His own parents tended to simply call him “son”, if they addressed him at all. Of course, he would never complain: out of all of the children, he had remained in the home, his manners likely keeping him the longest. While he knew they felt nothing but affection for their favorite son, he still worried that he would be the next to be disowned with one wrong move. 

With Elwood not showing any signs of objection, it was time for the group to make their way into separate bathrooms. Victor offered shorts to both Elwood and Raymond, reminding them to return the clothing, and some cash, if they were feeling polite.. He simply needed to remove his jeans, already wearing a pair underneath. Well, it was no shock that he came prepared, that was simply Victor’s way of living. There had never been a time where he wasn’t prepared for the extremes. So prepared, he found the process of waiting incredibly boring. So as Louis began to rid of his own pants, Victor sat on the bathroom counter, legs swinging back and forth. 

“This is a good trust exercise, you know.” He explained, hands waving wildly as he spoke. “Us brothers, we have to get to know each other! Families change in front of each other all the time- woah woah woah, is that Mickey Mouse underwear?” 

This situation felt all too awkward for Louis’ liking. As his younger brother droned on, he tried to avert his gaze towards the window, praying this wouldn’t turn into a comparison game like many male movies showcased. Those scenes always made him feel odd; an interesting mixture of unease and another emotion he couldn’t quite describe. Nonetheless, he was grateful to find that Victor paid no mind to his exposed sibling, continuing to rant about god knows what. It came as a great relief when they were finally able to reunite with the others. 

The pool, to Louis, had never been anything special. It was the size of an average community pool, with a diving board and floats as accompaniment. He found that he never swam that often in the first place. With his classmates finding the activity all too boring (they had their own at home) and his parents never being given the time off of work, he considered it awkward to be found swimming alone. Having boys to swim with- it was, well, nice. Nicer than he originally pictured it. 

Raymond was the first to scramble onto the diving board, laughing hysterically alongside Victor as the other shoved a pool float closeby. While they took turns barreling into the water, just barely landing on the float each time, Louis sat on the edge alongside Elwood. What was he meant to say? Sorry Mother and Father decided they weren’t ready for a kid, then had me and Ray not even a year later. Yeah, that didn’t sound quite right. He had never been much of a poet, that’s a given. While he was fine with everyday conversation, a skill he hadn’t been taught was how to navigate communication with his long lost older sibling. Then again, did anyone know how to do such a thing? 

“Have you already unpacked?.” Louis didn’t dare to meet his eyes, pulling at the strings of his trunks instead. 

“Yup.” It was almost funny how similar Elwood and Victor sounded. Not their speech, moreso the accent, one that only occasionally slipped from Raymond and had failed to be inherited by Louis. 

“Good. Does the bedroom fit your needs? Terribly sorry you have to share with the cat, but, well, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of sharing my bedroom. Never know if something could happen- nothing against you, of course.” 

“Yup.” 

This was just going swimmingly, pardon the pun. Louis wrung his hands together. The elephant in the room could be denied no longer. “I apologize for my- our parents’ behavior. They were young, but… to never make an attempt to find you, that truly is a horrid thing. If this relieves you in any way, I still consider you my sibling, even if we surely haven’t had enough time to strengthen that bond.” 

Elwood fell quiet. Not in the usual way that could almost immediately be picked up on. Instead, the silence made the air turn thick. Even the nearby laughter of their other brothers could not ease the growing discomfort. When a hand came to rest on Louis’ shoulder, a sigh - and relief - washed over him. The long-waited acceptance of at least one forgotten family member had finally come. 

Or, it nearly had. What came first was him plunging through the water. A shove had been what launched him from the safety of dry land, one undoubtedly caused by Elwood. When he resurfaced, Louis would knock him senseless if he could find his weak spot. Just as a sweet moment had begun, it had to be destroyed by that knucklehead. Out of the rest of this bunch, he expected Elwood to be the most mature. Of course, he first had to pull himself to the top of the pool, barely dodging the duck float that Raymond had thrown himself into. 

Elwood’s hand connected with Louis’ arm as he reached for land, and what came next was the faintest smile. Something unexplainable occurred in that moment, a phenomenon that to this day will never be forgotten: Forgiveness. Not towards the parents that had turned their backs on their children, but among the four that it had torn apart the most. Louis soon found himself smiling as well, making supposed eye contact with his shades-wearing brother as an idea formed in his mind. 

It was now Elwood’s turn to have his false sense of security taken for granted, as he had soon been yanked into the pool himself. Louis burst into laughter, almost as hysterical as Victor’s, waiting until his sibling resurfaced to speak once again. 

“Does this make us even?” He held out his hand and continued to occasionally snicker. 

“Swear not to drag me back under?” 

“Swear on my life.” 

Elwood paused, deep in thought, then shook his hand. “Even.” 

**Author's Note:**

> we'll see when we get that next part!


End file.
